The 10 Most Underrated Things About Dallas

By Bryan Yalta

Being one of the most populous cities in the U.S., Dallas is home to many entertaining locations and events obscured by the main attractions the city’s known for. That’s not to say that places with modish public interest are better or worse than those that are more or less unknown, but it means that a lot of people are missing out on certain interesting places and activities Dallas has to offer. Here, we’ve put down a list of 10 things Dallas provides for a guaranteed good night out unbeknownst to many.

1. Vice Palace

Taking DIY to another level in Dallas, Vice Palace can be considered as a traveling ‘venue’ making its way all throughout Dallas with experimental visions and exciting acts. While many may consider venues like Trees or the Granada Theater as the best Dallas has to offer (mainly because these places are easy to get to), there are venues like Vice Palace that miss the chance to be in the spotlight for their low exposure. Fans of independent, experimental, and punk bands are recommended they come and see what is being missed out on in the underground Dallas music scene. If you ever want to experience a concert meant for those who constantly look for music in their town, I suggest you check this ‘venue’ out.

2. Texas Theatre

This historic theater (known as being the place where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured after assassinating JFK) presents more than regular movies. The showings range from classics to cult favorites to B-movies and even live acts every now and then. The venue emits good vibes where a person can come to hang about for hours having a drink, reading a book off from their selection, watching the videos projected in the main room, or actually watching the movies they show. A combination of all of these options is a special way to end your night.

3. The Wild Detectives

This bookstore/coffee shop/music venue/everything is small and cozy enough to feel like a cabin (in fact, it looks like one from the inside) and that is exactly what makes this place so picturesque and peaceful. Grab some coffee (or wine depending on the time you go) pick out your book from their eclectic selection, sit back and loosen up. Wild Detectives usually has an event occurring like book readings, interviews, or concerts in their backyard where the stage is, merging book worms and music lovers together. So, if you feel like palliating the stress of a day’s work, this is a top place to go to.

4. Valley View Mall

It seems like 10 years ago this mall was the hippest of them all when it still had all of its stores in place. As the years went by, it felt more and more like a ghost town until one or two years ago when the mall was practically transformed into an art museum. Now, artists galore use the room retail stores previously used to sell their works and display them all throughout the mall. Every now and then, a small show is held in the middle of the second floor ranging from musical acts to mimes. There’s also a section where athletes practice sports in either a boxing ring or an indoor soccer field inside what used to be an Old Navy, meaning the place is huge. Plus, the AMC theater is just on the third floor, so if art or sports aren’t your thing, you could always watch a movie for five bucks.

5. Taco Festivals

How many taco festivals did Dallas have in 2015? Two; Taco Libre and Tacolandia. Now, it may not seem like much, but the formula for these events were a massive success. Music always pumps up a crowd, and when you combine that with tacos, you get intense pleasure. Add wrestling to the mix and the result is certain satisfaction. As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas and these festival follow this saying by serving the city’s best tacos in one area. What more could you want?

6. State Fair Food

Ah, Texas. The only place where you can eat fried anything and feel just as healthy as the next person. The annual state fair is home to all kinds of fried foods and drinks that complement the big rides the fair is known for. Of course, it ranks as one of, if not, the largest fairs in the U.S., but the nourishment also deserves worldwide recognition. You can find just about anything from fried lemonade to a five-pound burger to even fried Pop-Tarts (yes, fried Pop-Tarts). Every year, there is always a new culinary treat ready to surprise your taste buds, so it is recommended you try out the foods at least once. Or maybe twice.

7. Dallas Arts District Nights

In close proximity to the highly populated Klyde Warren Park in downtown Dallas, there lies the Arts District, the site where you can walk to and from places like the Meyerson Symphony Center, the Crow Collection of Asian Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Dallas Museum of Art. Every now and then, the Arts District hosts night parties like the biennial Aurora, which took place just last year for one day only but lighted up the arts district with enough electronics to last a full year. Continually, the DMA’s Late Nights allow the museums to stay open until midnight every third Friday of each month excluding December, creating a large crowd of people perusing the streets of the district in the middle of the month. These are great times for art lovers to converge and paint the night with memories.

8. Anime and Comic Conventions

Hosting annual conventions such as A-Kon and Dallas Comic Con for many years, Dallas has catered to its anime and comic book following with these weekend-long events to even attract long-distance fans. The dress code is your favorite hero or villain and although many violate this code, there is never enough to outnumber the cosplays that can be seen all day passing through convention centers during these weekends. The amount of people you can meet and take photos with are bound to give you some memorable moments in Dallas.

9. H-Mart

Texas is the only south central state in the US that has H-marts (for they are mostly congregated in the northeast) but if the exclusiveness of having two out of the four stores in Texas located in Dallas is not a good reason for you to check it out, then what’s inside the store should be. Fresh vegetables and sorted fruits, all sorts of raw seafood and Asian aliment not easily accessible anywhere else, and best of all, the many goodies of the eastern world available for you to discover and try. The eye-catching products sold here can make grocery shopping more interesting than before and that’s why it’s one of those places that should be visited frequently.

10. White Rock Lake

If there’s ever a time you want relaxation, then White Rock Lake is the place to go. Not only does it give you a beautiful view of the city’s skyline, but it erases its busy ambiance allowing you to forget about the worries and fast lifestyle buried in itself while you look at it from afar. There are always people participating in activities such as kayaking, having a picnic, rowing boats, or merely walking around through the gigantic park. Whatever the recreation is, the lake is the spot to capture peace or distract yourself in a working city.